{"id":7999,"date":"2015-05-17T07:05:54","date_gmt":"2015-05-17T06:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stragnell.com\/befoulednews\/?p=7999"},"modified":"2015-05-17T09:38:19","modified_gmt":"2015-05-17T08:38:19","slug":"17-may-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stragnell.com\/befoulednews\/2015\/05\/17\/17-may-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"17 May 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just when I thought we were turning the corner, the weather reminded us that it can still bite us in the bum. Wednesday was one of those gorgeous \u201cspring-like\u201d days when the sun shone and the birds chirped; Thursday was cold, wet, windy, grey and miserable \u2013 so cold that we fired up the wood burner. In the middle of May!<\/p>\n

We got back to the bluebells at Everdon Stubbs last Sunday and the display was considerably better than it had been the week before. With the usual apologies, you can see the least bad photos from this excursion here<\/a>\u00a0or wade through the slideshow below – click for a larger version, if you dare.<\/p>\n

[portfolio_slideshow id=8007]<\/p>\n

Back to this week’s weather and Wednesday evening especially was very nice. The sun was peeking out from behind the clouds and the birds were at their raucous\u00a0and most vociferous, scurrying about gathering grubblings for their off-spring and squawking angrily at anyone daring to venture into their patch. I spent a few moments watching the first of this year\u2019s swallow broods learning to fly which is always highly amusing and entertaining. In spite of how much I complain about the weather, they just get on with it.<\/p>\n

\"Swallows\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday evening I also had the pleasure of watching the recording of Tuesday’s Dodgers \u2013 Marlins baseball game from Los Angeles, with Vin Scully doing the play-by-play. He is truly a master of the craft \u2013 sixty-six years at the microphone and his dulcet tones are still as magical as ever. I couldn\u2019t help but be reminded of all those summer evenings growing up in southern California and listening in bed to Scully describing the play of Koufax & Drysdale, et al.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Penny's<\/a><\/td>\n\"Molly<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

I was saddened to read the news that BB King had died Thursday night\/Friday morning. Most of you know, I guess, that I have always been a big fan since being introduced to his music by someone in high school. I wish I could remember who first played me some of his tunes so that I could thank them for many magical moments listening to and enjoying the sound he got out of his guitar. I remember that Indianola Mississippi Seeds was the first of his albums I bought and straight away I was hooked \u2013 who wouldn\u2019t be, especially after listening to that first track:<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody loves me but my mother . . .
\nAnd she could be jivin\u2019 too.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n